Effective viscosities in a hydrodynamically expanding boost-invariant QCD plasma

Abstract

Background: The near-equilibrium properties of a QCD plasma can be encoded into transport coefficients such as bulk and shear viscosity. In QCD, the ratio of these transport coefficients to entropy density, $\zeta/s$ and $\eta/s$, depends non-trivially on the plasma's temperature. Purpose: We show that in a 0+1D boost-invariant fluid, a temperature-dependent $\zeta/s(T)$ or $\eta/s(T)$ can be described by an equivalent effective viscosity $\left\langle \zeta/s \right\rangle_{\textrm{eff}}$ or $\left\langle \eta/s \right\rangle_{\textrm{eff}}$. We extend the concept of effective viscosity in systems with transverse expansion, and discuss how effective viscosities can be used to identify families of $\zeta/s(T)$ and $\eta/s(T)$ that lead to similar hydrodynamic evolution. Results: In 0+1D, the effective viscosity is expressed as a simple integral of $\zeta/s(T)$ or $\eta/s(T)$ over temperature, with a weight determined by the speed of sound of the fluid. The result is general for any equation of state with a moderate temperature dependence of the speed of sound, including the QCD equation of state. In 1+1D, a similar definition of effective viscosity is obtained in terms of characteristic trajectories in time and transverse direction. This leads to an infinite number of constraints on an infinite functional space for $\zeta/s(T)$ and $\eta/s(T)$. Conclusions: The definition of effective viscosity in a 0+1D system clarifies how infinite families of $\zeta/s(T)$ and $\eta/s(T)$ can result in nearly identical hydrodynamic temperature profiles. By extending the study to a boost-invariant cylindrical (1+1D) fluid, we identify an approximate but more general definition of effective viscosity that highlight the potential and limits of the concept of effective viscosity in fluids with limited symmetries.